Cookies, of the Christmas kind...

I picked up Better Homes and Garden's 100 Best Cookies (Collector's addition) the other day, and immediately found a cookie recipe that I had to try. I know it's a little early for Christmas cookies - but it's not too early to test drive a couple of recipes beforehand. Work with me people!

CANDY BAR COOKIES
Prep 35 min; Bake 10 min; Cool 2 hours

1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup dark or light-color corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup butterscotch pieces
2/3 cup peanut butter (no, this is not a mistake)
1 cup chopped peanuts.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. For oat layer, in a medium saucepan stir together sugar, butter and corn syrup over medium-low heat until combined. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in the 1/4 cup of peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Place rolled oats in a large bowl. Pour brown sugar mixture over oats, stirring gently until combined. Press oat mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are a golden brown. Let oat layer cool slightly in pan on a wire rack.

In the same saucepan stir together chocolate pieces and butterscotch pieces over low heat until melted. Stir in the 2/3 cup of peanut butter until mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle half of the peanuts over the oat layer in pan. Slowly por chocolate mixture over the peanut-topped oat layer, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts over the top of the chocolate.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for several hours or until the chocolate layer is firm. Cut into 1 inch squares.



This recipe was very easy to make, and thankfully I had all the ingredients in my pantry. One thing to keep in mind is that introducing even a pin drop of water to melting chocolate will make the mixture seeze...so thoroughly dry all stirring utencils if they are newly washed! Otherwise, you will have to start over, because no amount of praying will return your chocolate to glossy. (It didn't happen to me this time, but it has happened in the past, and it freakin' sucks!)

The one thing that is bothering me, is the chocolate and oatmeal combination. I don't like it. If I make this again, I will probably use my mother's suggestion, and make a blond brownie layer in place of the oatmeal layer. Or make a plain flour, butter, sugar cookie layer to start it off. The chocolate part is absolutely awesome and totally worth saving the recipe.